Lucknow Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the true identity of a doctor is not just medical knowledge but compassion, empathy and ethical conduct, as he urged medical graduates to ensure that their “healing touch” is reflected in their behavior as much as in the medicines they prescribe.
Cautioning against the effects of ‘white coat syndrome’, a condition in which patients become anxious in the presence of doctors, he said that patients remember a doctor’s warmth and reassuring words even after treatment has ended and stressed that trust must replace the fear often associated with the syndrome.
Addressing the 22nd convocation of King George’s Medical University (KGMU), he said, “A patient’s diagnosis is often hidden in what they say. Doctors must listen patiently and treat each patient with respect and equality.”
Urging budding doctors to work with empathy towards patients and their families, Singh said that Artificial Intelligence is making rapid progress in medical science, but it cannot replace human compassion.
The minister said new technologies such as artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, gene editing and precision medicine are changing both the direction and landscape of health care.
The Defense Minister stressed that India is setting new standards in medical research and developing indigenous solutions to global health challenges through gene therapy and nuclear medicine.
Singh said, “Today India’s health system has emerged as more self-reliant, accessible, affordable, modern and people-centric than before. Today, India is developing indigenous solutions to global health challenges through gene therapy, nuclear medicine and other modern technologies.”
The Lok Sabha MP from Lucknow said scientists in the country have successfully demonstrated an indigenous gene therapy for the treatment of haemophilia and scientists from a Pune institute have developed a nanomedicine for breast cancer.
Singh also underlined the importance of preventive health care and advised doctors to practice yoga and meditation themselves before recommending a healthy lifestyle to others.
She also called for more research on women’s health, wider awareness of organ donation and greater adoption of advanced medical technologies, including gene therapy, CAR-T cell therapy and nano-drug-based treatments for breast cancer.
He said, “We have developed the world’s cheapest CAR-T cell therapy. The treatment which was earlier limited to only a few developed countries and the rich, is now becoming available in India at a very low cost.”
CAR-T, or chimeric antigen receptor T-cell, therapy is a highly personalized immunotherapy that reprograms a patient’s own immune cells to detect and destroy cancer cells. It is mainly used to treat specific blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma and is widely recognized as a life-saving medicine.
Singh said, “India’s health sector has witnessed unprecedented transformation over the last 12 years. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our government aims not just to provide medical treatment, but to build a healthcare system that is accessible, affordable and quality-driven.”
The minister described organ donation as the “greatest gift” to humanity.
He said, “Unfortunately, even today there are many misconceptions and hesitations in the society regarding organ donation.” He said that doctors play the most important role in removing these.
Singh claimed that health services in Uttar Pradesh have improved significantly in the last nine years under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He said that before 2017, there were only 17 medical colleges in the state, which has now increased to 81.
Governor laid emphasis on rural service, ordered hostel inspection
Governor Anandiben Patel urged newly graduated doctors to serve in rural areas for at least two to three years and continue learning throughout their professional career.
He also appealed to private hospitals to provide free or subsidized treatment to economically weaker patients and said that under the Digital Health Mission, unique medical record IDs have been issued to more than 90 crore people across the country.
After inspecting around 90 buildings on the university campus, the Governor directed KGMU officials to improve cleanliness, stretcher availability, food quality and security arrangements.
Their inspection of 18 hostels accommodating over 500 students revealed expired spices in the kitchens of two hostels, following which a probe was ordered. He also directed the university to install washing machines, improve the quality of hostel food, ensure better nutrition by serving cheese and said that non-vegetarian food was being prepared in three hostels.
To strengthen campus security, Patel announced that KGMU will expand its CCTV surveillance network from the existing 600 cameras by installing another 2,500 cameras across the campus.
Health care key to UP’s development: Pathak
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said that along with the rapid development of UP, there should also be strong health services.
“Papers can wait, not treatment,” he said, urging doctors to treat every patient equal to God and ensure that no one is denied timely medical care.
Minister of State Mankeshwar Sharan Singh, while talking about the historical heritage of KGMU, said that the institution was built on land donated by the Maharaja of Balrampur and had contributions from his ancestors. ₹Rs 3 lakhs were spent on its construction while the total cost of the project at that time was ₹10.75 lakh.
KGMU highlights extension, research and affordable healthcare
Outlining the recent achievements of the university, Vice-Chancellor Professor Sonia Nityananda said KGMU has performed around 190 subsidized robotic surgeries and expanded its Level-1 Trauma Center with 20 additional casualty beds and 10 ventilator beds.
He said that through the hospital revolving fund, medicines, implants and consumables are being made available at 45-70% less than the market price.
The university has successfully completed 46 liver, 19 kidney and 18 bone marrow transplants and is preparing to start lung transplant services. About 60 postgraduate seats have been added during the last three years while recruitment is underway for 325 non-teaching posts. Around 80 faculty members and 550 non-teaching staff have also been promoted.
Nithyananda said work is in progress on a second trauma centre, round-the-clock integrated diagnostic centre, orthopedic super-specialty block, new surgical block and organ transplant complex.
He also highlighted KGMU’s growing international and research collaborations, including an MoU with the University of Manitoba in Canada and AI-based health care research projects with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and IITs.
Deepti Sharma created history with 19 medals
The biggest honor of the convocation went to Deepti Sharma of batch 2021-26, who became the seventh student in the history of KGMU to win both the prestigious Hewett Gold Medal and Chancellor Gold Medal simultaneously.
He received a total of 19 medals including the University Honors Gold Medal and the Provincial Medical Services Association Gold Medal.
Crediting her achievement to the support of her family, teachers and friends, Sharma said she studies three to four hours a day and hopes to pursue postgraduate studies in dermatology or gynecology.
Abhilasha Ghosh won 13 medals during the event, while 20 students – 11 men and nine women – won a total of 54 medals.
Degrees awarded to over 1,700 students
A total of 1,701 students, including 975 men and 726 women, received degrees at the convocation ceremony. Of them, 515 were from the KGMU campus, while 1,186 graduated from 11 affiliated medical colleges and seven nursing colleges.
Dr. RK Garg, former Head of the Department of Neurology, received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Nidhi Singh was awarded the Dr. RML Mehrotra Memorial Gold Medal in the Scheduled Caste category, while Aniket Chandra Saxena received the major academic honour. Sakshi Tripathi received the Padmashree Dr. Sabyasachi Sarkar Gold Medal in Nursing and Dr. Shalini Singh and Dr. Aritra Saha were recognized for the best postgraduate thesis. Nikhil Verma won the Buckley Cup while Divyanshi Singh was named the best female athlete.
Dr M Srinivas was awarded the degree of Honorary Doctor of Science (DSc) for his contributions to medical administration and health policy.
Professor Rishi Sethi, professor and head of the department of cardiology at KGMU, was awarded the Governor’s Gold Medal for outstanding faculty on Monday. He was selected by the selection committee of the university for his contributions to medical education, research, student counselling, institutional development and community service.
‘Hridaya Sanjeevani’
The university also launched the ‘Hridaya Sanjeevani’ basic life support training programme, inaugurated a bedside CT scan service and a new central information center and released a book written by former Head of the Department of Orthopedics, Dr GK Singh. Many doctors and health professionals, including the trauma center team, were honored for their contribution to patient care and medical services.
